The Bossier banner., 1887-10-13

that we begrudged the time to eat and
sleep; and we neither of us meditated
for an instant giving the claim up to
any body. assessment work or 10 assess
ment work. What had become of the
two men was mystery. They had left
no trace except the notifcation-board
and shaft. and it gave me the creeps
now and then to think that they might
be dead. But we were not in frame
OF mind to let sentiment interfere with
| business.
Il suppose we had been there for a
couple of weeks when provisions be-
gan to run short. We didn't want to
both leave the claim at once. 30 it was
finally arranged that Charley 60 down
the creek to a camp about fifty miles
away and bring supply. He took
both burros and started off. Icaicu-
lated it would take him week to make
the trip, and time hung heavy on my
hands. tried to work little on the
shaft. The formation was very hard,
and we had rugged up sort of cross
bar ladder. ] would go down this, fill
the bucket, climb to the surface and
pull it up.
'At about noon of the second day
after he left was startled at what
thought was a man crossing a little
gulch half mile away. I only had a
view of it between two rocks, and what
ever it was passed SO quickly that
was not sure. However, waited for
couple of hours. and then, seeing
nothing further, concluded / was mis-
taken, and I went down into the shaft.
filled the bucket with very heavy ore,
climbed up, and had it about half
raised. when a man came walking up
the creek bed toward me. Then | knew
that was right before.
HE was an ugly-looking customer,
big and brawny, with fiat, Scandina-
Wan face, and carried Winchester on
his arm. I had little stick that
slipped into the windlass handle near
the axle, to keep it from turning back
ward, and, leaving the bucket just
where it was, suspended half way up,
started toward the cabin to get my
arms. He covered me with his repeat
ing rifle and ordered me to halt.
"'What are you doing on my CLAMP
he said.
81 reckon you can see.' I replied,
putting as good face on it as I possi-
bly, could.
"'You mean you jumped it, you
cursed thief!'
".No, don't. There wasn't enough
work on it to hold it, and it was as
much mine as anybody's.'
"'You lie!'
He looked at me over the sights
with his wicked greenish eyes for full
u minute. Then he said:
did you ever prayP'
"'Yes,' faltered.
"'Then pray now. I'll give You two
minutes to do it.
'.By that time my mind was clear
enough to take in the whole situation,
and had no doubt but he intended to
murder me then and there. With me
out of the way there would be no one
to testify to the insufficient work, and
/ would simply be regarded-if the
story of my death was ever told-as a
claim-jumper who had been justly dealt
with. 1 felt my knees begin to trem-
BILE, and tried another rock.
"'H you kill me, I said. my partner
will be back aud sec that you hang for
it.
"Tll fix your partner the same
way. you claim-jumping cur.
''True enough. Nothing could be
easier than to assassinate Burke on his
return, and we had so jealously guarded
the secret of our trip that no one would
know where to search for us. We
would simply disappear, as hundreds
of prospectors do, never to be seen by
men again, and speedily to be forgot
ten. had no hope of mercy from the
instant I looked into that mans cruel
face. / felt, with sickening qualm
and wild drumming in my ears, that
my time had come.
OA. AOi ACdtCu SdhCs OOA Y AAut-
der mel cried. i will CO.
1.-The man made no reply. For mo-
ment my head swan, and then, with a
sudden return of vision that was excru-
ciating in its clearness, saw him stoop
slightly. rest the gun-barrel over the
windlass-handle, and marked even that
slight contraction of the eyelid that
always just precedes a shot. The next
instant there was crash, an explosion
and cry, all mingled into one. l saw
the man turning head over heels down
the embankment, the Winchester flying
through the air. and all the while heard
a loud. monotonous whirring noise that
was like some gigantic clock running
down.
Ibid not realize it at the time, but
this is what had happened: When he
rested his gun across the windlass he
dropped the barrel right against the
little stick / had thrust in to prevent it
turning, and knocked it out. sup
pose the bucket of ore weighed 150